Why timely follow up is critical

By |Published On: 13/10/2020|

A series of steps you have to do

Now you are successfully capturing leads, the key is to make sure you follow up on all of them in a timely manner. The most common mistake for many schools is the failure to have adequate follow up because they are time poor and lack the systems to automate the process. This is exacerbated when the volume of inquiries is high, like at a major school event, where you need systems and processes in place to make sure you respond quickly.

Always follow up

No matter the inquiry you need to be sure to follow up as it is a strong indicator of your brand. You certainly don’t want families saying, “Oh, I reached out to that school, but they never got back to me.” Conversely, having someone be amazed at how well you follow up can have a markedly different impact. For example, with event registrations a simple courtesy is for all families to receive a personalized email acknowledging their interest.

Send your email with a purpose

In fact, anytime you send an email it should always come with a call-to-action. Consider the following email sequence for a family who registers to attend a School Tour.

Thanks for registering email

Sent to confirm that you received their registration. If you want to boost attendance ratios and reduce ‘no- shows’, include a calendar invite with the original email.

The critical reminder email

It’s always good practice to send thank you emails to those who attended, but equally as well send a ‘sorry-we-missed-you’ emails to those that could not make it.

Post event follow-up email

Send a friendly reminder the day before the event so they remember to attend along with any last minute pieces of advice - like where to park etc.

Use technology to automate these tasks

Most schools simply don’t do these things as they are too time consuming or complex, this is where technology comes into its own.

You have to make sure that for any web form completed or inquiry made, you follow- up automatically: technology can do this. Have a simple email sequence (a series of pre-written emails) for event registrations, and another for general inquiry forms that are sent automatically.

Enquiry Tracker automates this process for you entirely, from instant sign-up forms on your website to automated drip emails. We feel it is critical that all participants get personalized, school-branded emails along with a calendar invite so they don’t forget. There is no better way to get your relationship off to a solid start than with timely follow up!

KEY TIPS

  • 1

    Follow up with a personalized email i.e. Dear <First Name>, and not a pretty template as they want to know they are communicating with a person

  • 2

    Use conversational style copy in your email – write as if you were talking to them directly and not in general corporate speak

  • 3

    Always include a call-to-action, whether it is add the event to your calendar or get feedback by completing a survey

The Result: Increased customer service = impressed families who tell their friends = greater demand for enrollment.